Catch Up

As things change we need to change and adjust. As a well organized person, it is hard for me to adjust to the change before the change is happening. As much as I plan, I am not ready for what I do not know.

Once I've done it, I can refine the methods and procedure and make sure things are done correctly.

This is frustrating for me as I would have liked to make it work the first time. Especially with new team members, it is challenging to set expectations when you are not sure what they are.

The more I am thinking about this the more I realize that I need more patience but at the same time I need to make sure that what was agreed on is taken care of.

As all of the above was relating to my work, it is also apply to IHC. Specifically to starting a new year. Practicing a new form, setting new requirements. The beginning, until you develop the right habits is not easy. This year I had a road block with my back and my starting point was delayed. I have lots of catch up to do.

Personal Goal #3 - Guitar

My 3rd personal goal is probably going to be the hardest one.

Other than a short stint with a recorder in grade 4, I never played a musical instrument. Both my brothers and my sister played the guitar but I never did.

I plan to learn how to play the guitar this year. This will require me taking some lessons and adding another training aspect to my routine.

I tried doing this couple years ago and failed. I want this year to be different.

Personal Goal #2 - Stay connected

How appropriate... I'm flying to Pittsburgh today and I'm going to be there for the rest of the week. This new project added new challenges and one of them is being away from the kwoon (and from my practice routine).

This is why my second personal goal this year is to stay connected.

I plan to attend open training whenever I am not away. I plan to attend sihing class once a month. I plan to attend the evening adults class at least once a month and most important, while I am away, I plan to read posts and add a post or a message every day.

See you next Saturday at open training.

Personal Goal #1 - meditation

Last year, during the year of the rooster, I participate in the alpha mind workshop. This 2 weekends program was teaching meditation techniques to visualize and achieve success in life. That workshop was part of my rooster personal goals.

My first goal for the year of the dog is to practice these techniques and to benefit from this type of meditation and visualization. 

I plan to do at least 52 of the “short” meditation and 12 long meditations. I wrote short in double quotes because the short meditation is not short. It takes about 10 minutes. The long session is about 30 minutes. It is hard to find the time to do these without being interrupted. 

I also plan to also take 4 more workshops of meditation this year. This will be to expand my knowledge and experience with different meditation techniques. 

End and Start

Yesterday we had our banquet which marked the end of the Rooster year. The day was busy as always and I think we got to work like an oiled machine. Before, during and after.

From my perspective, this was a great banquet. Maybe because of the switch between the performance and the meal (finally got to eat...) and maybe because I'm getting used to it.

I do want to thank everyone who took part in organizing the day. We all did great as a team!

Looking ahead to the Dog year. I tried to stay focused on the Rooster so I am a little late with some of the Dog stuff. I need to keep it going with the changes required with new forms, new goals.

I am excited to see new members on the team and I will be missing some that are not returning. I wish everyone Happy New Year and a successful Dog year!

Planning the chaos

I'm a planner. There is not doubt about this. In the past, I used to plan so much that I never got to execute my plans.

In the last few years I've learnt to adapt, to accept that some things might not go as planned, and to adjust.

I think that now I get to plan multiple plans in my head. If plan A is not working, try plan B or C. But I am also getting better of doing ad-hoc planning where it is all based on the changing scenarios.

I've been challenging myself in some occasions to not plan at all and to be able to adjust what I'm doing as I go. I find it challenging but I do learn a lot about myself.

This year - the dragon dance is semi-choreographed. I know what sequence of moves I am going to do but I do not know which side it is going to be. It will depend on where the lion is... So dragon guys, if I start doing the barrel roll during the demo - you better be ready!

Keep going forward

Looking at the past IHC year, I do not want to summarize it as a failure or as a success. I like looking at the IHC as a series of successes and a series of failures. As mastery is a journey not a destination, I cannot say "I failed" or "I succeeded" as I'm still in the the process of mastery. I will continue to fail, I will continue to achieve my goals. I will continue to better my self. I will never stop.